Brown on sand

[henryriesett]

Hello all. I set up this tank almost 7 months ago, and I constantly have this brown film on my sand. I believe it is diatoms, but I didn’t know they could stick around this long. Would a uv sterilizer remove these?

 

[DanyL]

If it is indeed diatoms and not dino, than they’ll stick around as long as you have silicates in your water, which can come from your salt, RODI water or leach from new sand, rocks, etc.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

That looks too heavy to be diatoms, I've never seen it that thick before. Its usually a dusting, not a mat like that.

It looks like very little rock in your tank? Rock provides biofiltration and provides living spots for micro organisms that can eat algae.

How is the flow? Most algae loves low flow area's?

 

[henryriesett]

That looks too heavy to be diatoms, I've never seen it that thick before. Its usually a dusting, not a mat like that.

It looks like very little rock in your tank? Rock provides biofiltration and provides living spots for micro organisms that can eat algae.

How is the flow? Most algae loves low flow area's?

My aquascape is 2 islands, so the picture is just taken in between the two. I have thought about getting a second wave maker, right now there is only one that may not be cutting it.